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Thomas Steinert-Threlkeld's blog lists the following "Rules of Engagement" for cyclists:

Don't get cocky. Life can end in an instant.Wear a helmet. You only get one brain.Yield. Everyone else has the right of way. The car. The jogger. The walker.Respect physics. You lose, in every collision. Particularly with motor vehicles. Face it.Respect the rules of the road. You want to earn motorists respect? Earn it. Dont dodge it.Respect the edge of the road. Don't wander into the middle. Or over the edge.

Source: Edgeoftheroad.com

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BETHEL -- As police continued their search for a hit and run driver involved in the crash that killed cyclist Thomas Steinert-Threlkeld on Sunday, friends recalled his enthusiasm for riding and respect for the rules of the road.

New details were released Tuesday of the crash that killed Thomas Steinert-Threlkeld, 59, an avid cyclist and accomplished business journalist from Weston, during one of his frequent rides along area's rolling hills.

Steinert-Threlkeld was riding west on Route 302 and as he approached its intersection with Old Hawleyville Road a sedan traveling east on the road made a left turn in front of him, causing him to either hit the car or fall from his bicycle while trying to avoid the car, police said.

That is when a second car coming from Old Hawleyville Road turned onto Route 302 and hit Steinert-Threlkeld as he lay in the road.

Steinert-Threlkeld became trapped beneath the second vehicle and the first car, described only as medium to dark silver or gray sedan, drove away on Old Hawleyville Road.

Meanwhile, firefighters had to extricate Steinert-Threlkeld from beneath the second car. He was then transported to Danbury Hospital where he was pronounced dead of injuries sustained in the crash, police said.

Bethel police are now searching for the sedan that set the events that led to Steinert-Threlkeld's death in motion on Sunday. Anyone with information is asked to contact Bethel Police Sgt. Steve Pugner or Cpl. James Christos at (203) 744-7900.

A cyclist since 1991, Steinert-Threlkeld had ridden more than 100,000 miles, clocking about 100 miles every week, according to his profile on the cycling blog he maintained, www.edgeoftheroad.com.

In fact, riding "100 miles in a day was a non-problem," said Peter Litof, of Redding, a friend of Steinert-Threlkeld and fellow rider.

Litof did not know the exact route Steinert-Threlkeld took on Sunday but said that fall foliage sighting was one of his favorite reasons for setting out on his bike.

Though he usually rode with a destination in mind, it was the getting there that Steinert-Threlkeld loved, especially stopping to take photos along the way to post on his Facebook page and blog once he got home.

"He just had a wonderful love for the whole experience of riding," Litof said.

A cyclist's "Rules of Engagement" page on Steinert-Threlkeld's blog shows just how much respect he had for the dangers of cycling. The first rule is as simple as it is tragic in light of Sunday's incident -- "Don't get cocky. Life can end in an instant," it reads.

But in a sport that shares its ground with fast-moving 4,000-pound vehicles, even the most prepared cyclists can fall victim to a less scrupulous driver.

"In this day and age I think it's hard because (drivers) look down, check their cell phone, change the radio -- those are the things you can't account for," said Leigh Sorrells, owner of Bike Express on Division Street in Danbury.

Sorrell, a cyclist himself, said that a rider's safest course is a consistent one, sticking to one line far enough from the curb to avoid the need to unexpectedly turn closer to traffic in order to dodge things like storm grates or roadside debris.

"Just be predictable," he said. "What we encourage people to do is to kind of hold your ground ¦ riding in a safe, predictable manner."

And when traffic comes into play, whether it be congestion, stop signs or traffic lights, Sorrell -- who was speaking on cycling in general, not Sunday's incident -- said cyclists need to anticipate what will happen around them and respond accordingly.

"You have to kind of try and anticipate what these people are doing," he said. "What you try and do is minimize the amount of time you're in a danger zone."

But anticipation can only go so far and an inattentive or intoxicated driver can turn something as simple as a bike ride into tragedy.

That is what happened to off-duty Danbury Police Officer Donald Hassiak in June 2010 as he rode his bike along Route 7 in New Milford.

While Hassiak, 48, pedaled toward the police department where he'd worked for 16 years at about 10:30 p.m., James O'Neill ran Hassiak down, killing the officer and father of three, and fled the scene.

O'Neill was found highly-intoxicated by police four hours after the crash, and later pleaded guilty to evading responsibility and misconduct with a motor vehicle. He is now serving a 14-year prison sentence.